BLACK LIVES MATTER - 6 Non-Fiction Books About Racism and Racial Injustice

As most will know, the recent murder of George Floyd at the hand of a Minneapolis on-duty police officer has once again highlighted the absolute necessity for police reform in the USA and around the world. Thousands of people are currently protesting to draw attention to the institutional racism that is ingrained in law enforcement.

A quote I have seen recently is that we must not deny that we are not racist any longer, we instead must be 'anti-racist'. In order to protect our black brothers and sisters, everyone who isn’t black must acknowledge the racial biases that we all unconsciously possess.

Education is a form of protest, and as we read and learn about the experiences and injustices of black people, we become more able to use our voices to challenge racism. With knowledge of racial inequality and how it has impacted on black people, we can use conversation to begin the never-ending journey to fixing the broken mindset we have all been socialised into; that black people’s lives are worth less.

These are the non-fiction books about race that have had a particular impact on my understanding of racism in the present day and have helped me to understand what I can do to be 'anti-racist'.

1. White Fragility: Why It’s so Hard for White People to Talk about Race by Robin DiAngelo

I read this earlier this year, and it was one of the most eloquent pieces of writing I have read about racism. It is written by a white author which I initially questioned because… does she really have the right to be teaching us about racism? But instead of teaching her white-perceptions of how white people can be anti-racist, she uses the experiences of black people to engage in conversation about how we can use our acknowledgment of our racism as a tool to combat it.

“When a white woman cries, a black man gets hurt.”

2. Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Renni Eddo-Lodge

I’m sure that by now most people have heard of this book. Reni Eddo-Lodge writes about systematic racism, whiteness and intersectionality among other things, and the importance of countering racist discourse. In particular, she focuses on how black history has been largely eradicated from our consciousness in order to promote the dominance of the white race. This book is super hard-hitting and insightful and re-ignited the conversation about race relations in Britain. (I also highly recommend Reni Eddo-Lodge’s podcast ‘About Race’ which you can find on Spotify).

“If you are disgusted by what you see, and if you feel the fire coursing through your veins, then it’s up to you… It can be creative. It can be informal. It can be your job. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as you’re doing something.”

3. The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B Du Bois

W.E.B Du Bois collated a collection of essays for this book back in 1903. He discusses his own experiences of racism and inequality, emphasising how society functioned in such a way that split whites and blacks into two groups; the worthy and the unworthy. Du Bois was an incredible writer and has produced countless texts on race in the 19th and early 20th century. Many of the issues covered in his essays still ring true today, especially Du Bois' commentary on the perception of black people that law enforcement have, and how the law favours white people over the entire black community.

“The laws are made by men who have little interest in him; they are executed by men who have absolutely no motive for treating the black people with courtesy or consideration; and, finally, the accused law-breaker is tried, not by his peers, but too often by men who would rather punish ten innocent Negroes than let one guilty man escape.”

4. They Can’t Kill Us All: Ferguson, Baltimore, and a New Era in America’s Racial Justice Movement by Wesley Lowery

Lowrey delves deep into the events that occurred at the start of the Black Lives Matter movement as well as the deaths of Michael Brown, Tamir Rice and Freddie Gray who were all unarmed, young and black, who were shot to death by police in the USA. Lowrey recounts interviews with the families of victims killed by police which offers some really personal and moving insight into how police brutality not only affects the victim and their family, but also the feeling of safety and security for black people all across America. If you’re wanting to learn about the origins of the BLM movement, this is a great place to start.

“Insisting that the burden of proof rests with the body of the slain black man or woman is to argue that black life, on its own, does not matter.”

5. Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine

Through poetry, essays and lyrics, Rankine discusses the ongoing racism that is presented in the media and everyday life, ranging from micro-aggressions which black people feel they must ignore, to overt expressions of racial bias and prejudice. For those looking for an artistic, textual approach to education about racism, this short book is perfect.

“It is the White Man who creates the black man. But it is the black man who creates.”

6. Black KKKlansmen: Race, Hate and the Undercover Investigation of a Lifetime by Ron Stallworth

Most will have heard of the 2018 ‘BlacKkKlansmen’ film, but a lot of people probably haven’t realised that it was originally a book. For those who don’t know, Ron Stallworth is a black man working as a detective in Colorado in 1979. Through telephone correspondence he managed to become a member of the Ku Klux Klan and developed personal relationships with the leading powers of the group, all while using a white colleague to impersonate him at face-to face meetings. Even if you have seen the film, I recommend reading the book. The story feels different when you are reading the words written by Ron himself and (and it's another really short book so there is no excuse!).

“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.”